


What you find at home, yet don't expect.

by Eseridor



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Alcohol, Blood and Wine (The Witcher 3 DLC), Eventual Romance, Food, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Multi, Post-The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Romance, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Swearing, The Witcher 2 Spoilers, The Witcher 3 Spoilers, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-08-26 01:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16671775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eseridor/pseuds/Eseridor
Summary: After Vesemir's death Eskel disappeared. Five years later, he is ready to come back home, where he hopes to reunite with his kin. But he ends up finding more witchers than he expected at the Keep.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, whoever is reading this !
> 
> First of all, thank you for taking the time to read my work, I appreciate it !
> 
> Please note that English is not my mother tongue, so if you see any mistake or weird phrasing, please let me know :)
> 
> Also know that I am very new to the whole fanfic/AO3 thing (what you are reading is my first "work"), so I apologize in advance if I mistag something, if I forget to tag something or even if the layout is a bit wonky.
> 
> This is a work in progress, and judging from what I already have written, this will be long !  
> Hope you enjoy :)

The sun was low in the sky; soon, it would set behind the high mountains. But that did not worry the Witcher. Kaer Morhen was less than an hour away now. He would be there before dark. He did not mind riding in the night, for his mutated eyes could see well with little luminosity. But he wanted to arrive before sunset, in case he was the first one to arrive for the winter. The portcullis had to be opened, and that was not the easiest thing to do. It would require him to bypass the fortress, until reaching an accessible breach in one of the thick stone walls. From there, Eskel would need to climb up to the roofs, make his way to the courtyard and then proceed to open the heavy gates. He hoped for a brief moment that someone else was already there, but knew that it was unlikely. Winter was coming in later this year, meaning that the other Witchers could still find contracts. They were in no rush to come home.

Five years ago, Geralt and his friends from all part of the continent had tried to stop the Wild Hunt from pursuing Ciri. She was the one who had managed to stop them when everything seemed lost, but at what price ? Vesemir died trying to protect her, and the Witchers of the Wolf School had to say goodbye to their mentor. After the ceremony, Eskel had told Geralt he intended on leaving soon, and not come back. The morning after, he was gone. The scarred Witcher had packed his stuff, taken his horse, and left without a word. He couldn't do it. Bidding farewell to Vesemir was hard enough. He couldn't bear the idea to say goodbye to his brothers. For five years, he had been on the Path, with little to no respite. He took one contract after another. Anything to distract himself. To not think. He was used to solitude anyway. But when winter was coming around, he would always feel alone. It was an unspoken tradition that the Witchers would try their best to come back to Kaer Mohren, in order to spend the winter together. He had avoided going back to the fortress at first, but -after a few solitary winters- the urge was there again. Like an itch he could not scratch away. Eskel missed his family. He needed to see them all. The White Wolf, Ciri... Hell, even Lambert ! If that wasn't saying a lot. So, when the sharp pain of losing a loved one dulled, he decided it was time to come back.

Nearing the fortress, the Witcher slowed down his horse. He took a moment to watch the impressive edifice towering him. The kaer seemed to have been carved out of the mountain side, its walls blending with the steep cliff behind it. From the road leading to it, it was evident that the castle had been built on various levels; the distant part of the keep towering the surrounding grounds and the valley. Most of the grey walls were partially covered in different forms of vegetation. All kinds of mosses, ivies and weeds were either peeking through the large stones, or crawling on their surface. Many walls were damaged; some only starting to show cracks running through them, others having collapsed decades ago and never had been fixed.

To his surprise, the gate was already open. Somebody was there. His heart jumped a little at the thought of being reunited with his kin. Eskel spurred his black steed through the stone arch and entered the grounds of the Wolf School. Once in the courtyard, he dismounted, leading the horse to the stables. They were strangely empty. Geralt and Lambert would never travel without a horse, which confused him as to who was here. After he was sure Scorpion was all set, he stepped out.

Walking towards the gate leading to the main building, his mutated ears heard the echo of a thud. The Witcher stopped in his tracks, trying to locate where the sound was coming from. The thudding kept on going, at an irregular pace. He decided to check the rest of the courtyard for the source of the noise. Approaching the training area, he could hear the sound clearer. Soon, he also heard a gruff voice.

“ Focus ! “

That was Letho of Gulet, no doubt about it. It did not particularly pleased him. Even though he did not hate the man as much as he used to, he was not fond of having him around too much.Turning a corner, Eskel finally saw him. The massive Witcher had his back to him, arms crossed and was monitoring someone on the pendulum. The device was used by aspiring Witchers, who wanted to work on their balance and footwork. The user had to avoid the spiky pendulum while it was set on motion,. The tricky part was that they had to walk on evenly spaced wooden poles. The exercise was also dangerous due to the fact that on one side, there was a straight drop.

It was only when Eskel arrived a few feet away that Letho noticed him. If he was surprised to see the scarred Witcher arriving, he showed no signs of it and greeted him.

“ Long time no see, Wolf. “

“ Yeah... “

What else could he say ? They were not friends. It's not like he was going to open his heart to the bald man and explain why he hadn't been around. Sure, since the Viper had proven useful against the Wild Hunt, Eskel resented him a little less. But he couldn't really say he considered him a friend. He tolerated his presence more, that was all.

All of Letho's attention was directed toward the woman training. Simply dressed with fitting leather pants and a loose linen shirt tucked in, the petite woman was moving along the poles with ease. Her brows were hidden by the rag covering her eyes, but Eskel could see the lines on her forehead; she was frowning.

“ Who's that ? “ he nodded in her direction.

“ Erryn. A friend.”

Switching their attention back to the pendulum, they supervised in silence the ongoing training.

“ Nobody else here ? “ Eskel enquired.

Letho shook his head, watching closely his friend.

“ Geralt should be here soon, with Ciri. Don't think Lambert planned on coming this year. “

This year. Meaning this was a recurring situation. Eskel did not know how to feel about that. Letho coming to Kaer Morhen on a regular basis. And bringing a so-called 'friend' with him on top of it. The location of the Witchers Schools were supposed to be one the best kept secrets. Only second to all the mysteries surrounding their mutations and how they became Witchers.

“ Careful. “

Eskel heard Letho's voice tense up. The woman had lost the rhythm. If she could not manage to collect herself, she would get hit by the pendulum.

“ Stop talking, you're distracting me ! “

As she talked back, she hesitated, and was now on one foot, trying to regain her balance. She inhaled sharply and stepped forward, only to be greeted by the pendulum.

Eskel heard the air being pushed out of her lungs, and watched as she hit the ground hard. Before he could move, she was on her feet, the wooden sword she was previously holding at her feet.

“ You're damn lucky you fell on this side. Could have killed yourself. “

Letho was not pleased with his apprentice. She grinned.

“ You wouldn't let that happen, you know it ! Am I done ? “

“ For now. “ he sighed.

Fiddling with the knot at the back of her head, she continued.

“ You gonna introduce us ? “

“ This is Eskel. From the Wolf School. “

She had managed to take off the blindfold, and was still blinking when she stood in front of the Witcher.

“ And I'm Erryn. From the Viper School. “


	2. Chapter 2

“ You don't seem that surprised to see a female Witcher. “

The three of them were now in the kitchen, Eskel sitting down at the large wooden table at the center of the room, a cup of wine in his hand. He watched as the two Vipers put the final touches on the meal they had prepared earlier in the day. Letho was stirring the content of a large iron pot, coils of steam rising up and disappearing before they reached the ceiling. The small room was soon filled with the scent of various spices, some Eskel could not identify. Erryn was traveling around him, grabbing the crockery they needed.

“ Heard rumours of an ashen-haired Witcheress here and there...” Eskel enquired, “ Did Ciri really become one ? “

“ Yeah ! “ She smiled at him “ And a pretty good one at that ! The first year, she mostly stuck with Geralt on the Path, but since then, she's been on her own and doing great. “

The Wolf nodded, pleased to hear that the girl raised by the Witchers was still alive and well. He stayed silent for a bit, staring at the bottom of his cup...

The rustling of the Vipers' leather armors roused him from his thoughts. They were soon all eating in silence, only interrupted by the sounds of cutlery scraping against wooden bowls. Damn, that was good. Potatoes, carrots and tender meat were floating in the clear broth; and the spices smelled earlier gave a particular relish to the whole thing.

“ So, Letho... How long have you been hiding her ? “

Eskel surprised himself with the accusing tone peeping in the question.

“ After the Wild Hunt. If that's what you're really asking. “

The Witcher had said that in a detached tone.

The Wolf turned to her, his eyebrows raised

“ You went through the mutations as an adult ? “

“ Mh-mm. So did Ciri, you know... “

“ True. I hadn't think about that. “

He stayed quiet for a moment, wondering how that must have been like. The transformation was a painful thing that killed many, and Witchers rarely talked about it.

“ How ? I thought no Schools were producing Witchers anymore. “

Letho answered this time.

“ I did it. On my own. “

Baffled by this sudden revelation, Eskel looked at the man again, in hope of an explanation.

“ What do you know about the School of the Viper ? “

“ Not much. Didn't the School just... closed ? “

Letho nodded, and kept going.

“ To put it simply, the Vipers were split in two groups: those who believed that in order to survive, we had to expand our line of work; and those who wanted to stick to killing monsters, and monsters _only_. “

Eskel had no doubt which category the Kingslayer belonged to.

“ Things started to escalate, and fights amongst the members of the School were a recurring thing. As expected, one day, things went too far; and there was a murder. A fratricide... “

After a pause to digest what the bald Witcher had just said and its implications, Eskel spoke

“ Not sure I understand the connection with this story and how you turned a grown woman into a monsterslayer. “

Suddenly, he wondered if the now Witcheress had a say in the decision.

“ Before the Vipers took the decision to all go their separate way and abandon the School altogether, I hid somewhere safe what was left of the Grasses. “

The Wolf felt his heart beating fast

“ You _what_ ? “ His voice was harsh. “ You thought it was a good idea to let the Grasses who-knows-where, unsupervised ? Anybody could have found them, do you know what would've - “

Letho cut him short,

“ But nobody did. Years later, when I met Erryn and put her through the Trial, they were still there. And you have no choice but to believe me when I say that they are gone. No more Grasses. “

Eskel stared at his plate, at loss for words. The knots in in his stomach had ruined his appetite. This was too much. Someone had gone through the trials, not that long ago. That thought alone was chilling. Witchers had been threatened with extinction for the last half-century, their number constantly decreasing. Letho had stolen from his very home the dangerous Grasses, intending to-

“ Why ? “ The Wolf had snapped from his thoughts “ Why did you steal the Grasses ? You told me you met Erryn later, so you didn't take them with the intention of making her go through the trials. So, why ? “

The bald Witcher gauged him. After a long silence, he finally answered.

“ I wasn't in favor of dissolving the School. So, when discussion began between the two groups, and a consensus was in the talks, I stole them.” the man paused again “ Figured I could revive the School, once things would calm down. Never had the opportunity to do it. “

“ Seems to me you did. You made yourself a Witcheress. “

“ No. “ Erryn shook her head. “ The School was destroyed. As for the Viper Witchers... We believe we are the last ones. “

She had said that looking at Letho, who was starring the distance.

“ Oh. “

What more could he say ? He still wasn't sure he believed the bald man's story. Sure, he could understand wanting to save your kind, but by betraying them ? Stealing their most precious good, keeping the secret to perpetuate their line of Witchers to himself ? And what about putting everyone at risk ? Leaving the Grasses where they could be found at all time, and fall into the wrong hands was pure madness. The secrets to the Witchers' mutations were secret for a good reason. Eskel was left with an unanswered question: if the opportunity to save the School of the Wolf arose, would he take it, no matter the price ?

The Witcher was still asking himself those questions when laying in bed, and sleep evaded him for a couple of hours before he passed out of exhaustion.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing Eskel felt when he woke up were the rays of sunshine hitting the blanket he was buried under. He did not open his eyes immediately, savoring the quiet morning; it had been far too long since he had the opportunity to sleep in a warm bed, and he was planning to enjoy it as much as he could. The Witcher rolled on his stomach, stretching and letting his bare shoulder blades bask up in the sun. He finally opened one eye and tried to adjust to the ambient light as he looked around his old room. Everything was exactly as it was when he had left Kaer Morhen. The fireplace was cold and dusty, for he was too exhausted the night before to light it up. Next to it, in a corner of the room, hidden behind a screen, was a wooden bathtub. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there. The thought of a warm bath was enough to get him out of bed and dressed in an instant.

The back of his neck pressed against the rough surface of the tub, Eskel closed his eyes and let his mind wander. His thoughts soon went in the direction of the Witcheress he had met the previous day. He had no clue how to feel about the whole situation... The idea of being alone with not one but two Vipers made him wary. Sure, they had been nothing but pleasant since he had arrived by surprise, but the mistrustful voice in the Wolf's head kept muttering to stay on his guards. The Kingslayer hadn't gain his name in vain ; less than ten years ago, he had sowed chaos in the Northern realms by killing not only Damavend -king of Aedirn-, but also King Folest of Temeria. Sure, Geralt had told his brother that the man had his reasons to do it, but Eskel couldn't bring himself to trust him. Witchers were monster slayers, supposed to be neutral, not to go on killing spree around the land.

As for Erryn, well, she was Letho's friend. Even more than that, she was his pupil, trained by a man who had slaughtered men without hesitation. What did that mean exactly ? The woman had been mutated by Letho himself, and had stayed with him ever since. She had to have a certain loyalty towards him, Eskel was sure of it. But at the same time... At the same time, she had been nothing but kind to him. Witchers' smiles were a rare thing, yet Erryn seemed to be able to cause people around her to grin more than usual. Maybe because she was so full of life, contented to simply _be_.

Eskel sighed as he stopped his train of thoughts, realising the water had started to cool down. He scrubbed himself from the sweat and dirt of the road, exited the tub and got dressed once again ; this time putting on his full attire. First, underwear. Then pants, a belt, his muddied boots, a linen shirt that could use a wash, and his jacket. The thing was worn, threads beginning to loosen at the collar, the red and black stripes not as vibrant as they once were. Some of the studs the Witcher had added years ago had started to fall out, and he knew the whole thing would soon need to be replaced, but he had grown stupidly attached to the rags and could not bring himself to throw it away.

Sheathing his two Witcher swords to the scabbard strapped across his torso and back, Eskel acknowledged that his stomach had been growling for a few minutes now. He stopped by the kitchen on his way out to see if he could find anything to satisfy his appetite, and was happy to spot a bunch of apples set on the table, waiting for him. The Witcher grabbed two, knowing that Scorpion would more than enjoy the impromptu treat. The horse either heard him arrive or smelled the apple, but it was delighted to see its master.

“ Hey bud. “ Eskel gently patted the horse's flank “ Here, for you. “

Scorpion sniffed the extended hand and bit into the green fruit; eating it the blink of an eye. The Witcher looked around to see if there was hay stocked somewhere for his mount, then realised the troughs had both been filled. His steed nudge at him, in search for another sweet fruit.

“ No more apples. You gonna get fat. “

Once he was sure that his horse was fine, Eskel turned back and went to the outer courtyard. He did not mind having to train alone -he was used to it-, the life of a Witcher, spent mostly on the Path was a lonely one. But he was hoping Geralt would soon be there, and that they could train together like they did so many times. Training with him was always funnier; mostly because Eskel knew he had the upper hand over his brother. He wondered if the White Wolf had improved his technique with his signs while he was gone... Rolling his shoulders as he unsheathed one of his blade, he positioned himself. Taking a deep breath, then letting it out, he began his routine, a long serie of basic moves by way of warm up.

Eskel considered his training for the day done a couple hours later, when he started to feel his muscles ache and a thin layer of sweat covered his body. Happy with his workout, he headed back into the fresh air of the keep. He decided to eat outside, to enjoy the warmth of the day while he could. The Witcher went back in the kitchen to warm up the leftover of the broth from the night before, and even managed to locate a small loaf of bread. Minutes later, he was sitting down, his back against one of the centuries-old trees of the courtyard to eat. It felt good...

Eskel was home. And he couldn't wait for the others to arrive ! He bet Geralt had a thousand stories to tell him, about contract, about Ciri, about Yennefer. Where they still a thing ? Even when he kept in touch with his brother, Eskel never knew what to expect. One day, they seemed the happiest couple that ever walked the earth; the next, they couldn't stand each other. Their relationship was a true enigma to him. More so, he did not understand for one bit why Geralt fell head over heel for the sorceress. She was beautiful, sure. And he could understand how it was nice to have someone want you, especially in their line of work. But damn, he could not bring himself to trust her. She was a powerful, dangerous woman. And he had it in the back of his mind that she never did anything without a motive. He also could not shake off the feeling that she was only toying with the White Wolf. Yet, the Sorceress and the White Wolf seemed to both believe that they were “meant to be” -even if they would rather die than admit it aloud. What the hell did that even mean ? Love at first sight was a thing for two-crowns romances, the real world did not work like that. Having emptied his bowl, Eskel gave the remaining of his bread to Scorpion and got up.

He had wondered earlier if the hole in the roof of West Hall, on the second floor, had been fixed in the five years that he had missed. Upon inspection, he saw that the wide open gap was still very much there, and the room had most probably been deemed out of use. The ground under the opening was starting to get mossy, and some weeds had even managed to grow between the stones. From what the Witcher could see from the ground, the framework had started to mold, meaning a big portion of the structure had to be taken down and build anew. To properly fix the hole, he would need to find a carriage, go down the mountain to the nearest village and see if the carpenter had what he needed. The two-way trip would take Eskel a full day, and he wasn't sure there was still a carriage somewhere he could use. He decided to spend the afternoon to close temporarily the gap, he would go to the village another day, maybe when his friends were here.

When the roof no longer allowed birds and rain to come in, Eskel took the opportunity to look at the sky. The sun had begun his descent. He enjoyed watching sunsets, and the view from up there was great. He could see perfectly see the sun setting between the high mountains. The Witcher watched as the sky and the clouds sported the most stunning colors; all sorts of pink and blue, and what seemed like a hundred shades of purple. The world was exploding with colors, and Eskel stayed there for a while, appreciating every second of it.


	4. Chapter 4

Eskel only took his eyes off the breathtaking view when he heard the voices of Letho and Erryn, who had just past the keep's entrance. He began climbing down the tall ladder he has set, his foot touching the ground as Letho neared him.

“ You hungry ? “

The Viper Witcher was stingy with words, which Eskel did not really mind.

“ Yeah. “

They both walked toward the fortress, when the Wolf remembered he had to make a detour by the stables to attend to Scorpion. As he approached the wooden structure, he heard the Witcheress voice again, cooing at the animal.

She greeted him with a smile, as usual.

“ Hi ! “

“ Hi. “

As soon as he heard its' master's voice, Scorpion turned away from Erryn's petting. Eskel playfully scratched the horse on the nose, right between the nostrils.

“ I brought him in. Hope you don't mind ? “

She took the following silence as a mark of not-minding.

“ I also gave him his food this morning. “

“ Could have done it myself, you know. “

The words were stern, ungrateful. The Witcheress stared at him.

“ Sorry. “ She crossed her arms, “ meant well. “

This time, she did not wait for an answer and headed back into the fortress.

Eskel followed her soon, after making sure his steed was set for the night. When he entered the kitchen, Letho was already cooking the meat they had brought with them.

They seemed so at ease. Which was weird to Eskel. He had felt so comfortable all day, when he had the Kaer to himself. Now, there were two strangers here, so used to the place and _he_ was feeling like the stranger. He was not a part of this thing -whatever it was-, he was just a spectator. He resented the sensation.

“ Need any help ? “

He surprised himself by asking.

“ No. “

Letho threw a surprised glance at his disciple, but didn't add anything. Erryn had answered without even looking up from the pot she was stirring. He had rubbed her the wrong way, no doubt about that. Eskel felt stupid. Unwanted and unwelcome. Out of place. He tried shrugging the feeling off and left.

As he strolled down the main hall, he felt the air getting chiller. He decided to light the fireplace in his bedroom. He hauled upstairs a stack of dried wood, making a mental note to cut some more in the following day. When the fire had consumed a little, he carefully closed the door behind him. He went back to the woodpile and proceeded to light another fire, but this time in the main hall.

Watching the fire consume the logs, he reminisced of his early years in the Witcher School. To days when the hall was not so desperately empty. There used to be so many other children in here. He remembered the long tables were they would all eat together at the end of the long day. At least, those who had survived. On days were the same number of children were at breakfast and at dinner, the atmosphere was light. Hopeful. On those day, they all felt invincible. Dozens of children's voices would fill the room with lighthearted blabbering. Then there were other days. When only a handful of them were still there. Those were quieter.

The smell of stew pulled him out of his thoughts. He dragged of the heavy table closer to the fire. Even though Witchers were less sensitive to temperature changes, eating in front of a roaring fire was always a nice feeling.

He was welcomed back in the kitchen by the Witcheress' light laugh. She was leaning on the table, shaking her head at Letho. The man chuckled and looked at Eskel, waiting for him to talk.

“ Thought we could eat in the main hall ? Lit the fireplace up. “

He felt weird, having to ask for someone else's opinion.

“ Fine by me. “ He looked at his female counterpart. “ You ? “

“ Don't care. “

She grabbed the small pile of plates set behind her, and filled them with the warm stew. The Viper Witcher took three clean cups, forks and spoons for everyone, and a bottle of beer under each arm. He held the door open for Eskel and Erryn, who were carrying the steaming plates and some bread. The silence that fell upon the three of when they started eating was suffocating. The talkative Witcheress was obviously upset, and it was weird to eat in silence, compared to the long talk they had the night before.

“ Got plans for tomorrow ? “

Gods, he hated small talks. Letho showed a bit of surprise, but answered anyway.

“ Haven't talked about it yet. Anything you wanna do, kiddo ? “

She paused a moment to think about it.

“ Don't know. Guess I wouldn't mind some down time before everybody gets here. “

“ Fine by me. “ He looked back at Eskel. “ You ? “

“ Don't know either. I'm sure I can find some wall that need fixing somewhere, so probably that. “

Letho nodded at his answer, and the silence fell once again upon them, only lighter this time.

Soon after, Erryn was done with her plate and cleared her corner of the table.

“ Goodnight big guy “ she smirked, as she planted a kiss on her mentor's bald head.

“ Night, kid.”

“ Wolf. “ She nodded at him and left.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Eskel awoke to a gloomy day. The sky was filled with menacing clouds, and the air heavy with the promise of a storm before the end of the day. The Witcher decided to go train right away, while the weather was still allowing it. Before heading out, he stopped in the kitchen where he found Erryn baking. She had her wavy hair tied up in a messy bun and was busy kneading dough.

“ Mornin'. “

“ Morning. “

Still mad, apparently. Eskel felt awkward... He had learn many years ago not to care about others were thinking about him, but he still felt bad that he had upset a fellow witcher.

“ Letho made jerky this morning, if you're hungry. “

She pointed to a nearby pan with her elbow, but avoided his gaze.

“ Thanks. “

He grabbed a few pieces of meat and turned to her, wanting to say something. But he wasn't great with words. The Witcher knew he needed to say he was sorry; he just didn't know if she was gonna accept his apology. He took a breath to say something, but the words didn't come. Frustrated, he sighed and left. For now, he needed to empty his mind, he could always apologize later. Outside, the Wolf promptly made his way to the training grounds while eating. One thing was sure, the Vipers knew how to cook !

The moment he pulled out his sword and started his routine, he felt better; his brain free from everything. After an hour or so of twirls and death blows, he felt satisfied with himself and sheathed his blade. All he had to do now was go to the stables to feed Scorpion and let him free for the day.

There, he ran into the Witcheress once more, busy detangling the horse's mane with her fingers. The absent-minded smile disappeared from her lips the instant she saw the scarred Witcher.

“ Don't worry, only came to say hi. “

Eskel stopped her “ Wait ! “

She crossed her arms and looked back at him, a blank expression plastered on her face.

“ Listen, I uh... I - I'm sorry. About yesterday. Didn't mean to be so asshole-y. “

He watched her stand there, her arms still crossed, shifting her weight on her leg.

“ Forget about it “ she gestured, turning around.

“ Hold on. Can I ask you something ? “

She seemed taken aback by his question. “ Yeah, sure. “

“ You guys don't have horses ? “

Eskel saw her body relax a bit.

“ Nope. Can't afford them. “ She paused. “ Hence why I got carried away with pretty boy over there. “

The Witcher couldn't help but smile at the nickname.

“ And as much as I'd like to stay here all day, I have things to do, so... “

After a final pat on the animal's nose, she was gone.

Before midday, it was raining. The raindrops were sparse at first, falling one by one, not making a sound. But with a gush of wind, the heavy clouds flew over Kaer Morhen, and soon after, it started pouring. In seconds, everything was damped, water streaming down the cobblestones of the courtyard, dripping from the tall walls, clouding the glass windows. Enjoying the shelter the fortress provided against the unrelenting storm, the three Witchers had scattered around the castle after their meal.

Letho had planned on using the underground lab to brew potions, and Erryn had headed to her bedroom to bathe. Eskel found himself alone, and a bit distraught by the situation: he was stuck for the day in the castle, not really knowing what to do. The repairs he had intended to do today required him to work from the outside, and he wasn't so keen on working in the middle of a thunderstorm. At first, he wandered around the castle, rediscovering the place. Guess he wanted to see if anything had changed while he was gone... But most of the keep seemed to have been under a sleeping spell. A lot of corridors and rooms were empty, spiderwebs slowly taking over, only disturbed by the drafts that were engulfing the old building.

Eskel soon found himself on the first floor, pushing the heavy door leading to the armory. The sight of the numerous weapons and pieces of armor still hanged up where they were years ago eased him. Most of the relics had little to no monetary value, but the Witcher had always considered them to be pieces of history, their history. Whether it was a 11th century silver blade or the phylactery used in their trial, these objects all had a story to tell, each making a contribution to the telling of the Witchers' story. After he had gazed at each of them, the Witcher left the room, and decided to cross the hall to check the library.

The room still had the same smell, a mix between years old papers, dust and a hint of mold. A good look around revealed that just like the armory, the library had been maintained, even... Bettered ? It suddenly seemed like the place was in better shape than last time he had seen it. Someone had been cleaning the shelves, as proved by the piles of books on one of the central tables, and the emptied bookcases were clean of all dust. Eskel stepped closer, curious about the whole thing. When he was still a training Witcher, the room had to be deep-cleaned as a form of punishment for any misbehaviour trainee. And boy, he could not even remember how many hours he had spent here, scrubbing the floors with Geralt, after Vesemir caught them doing whatever stupid shit they decided to do that day. Before he could feel sorry for his now deceased mentor, his enhanced hearing caught the sound of talking in the hallway. The Vipers. They seemed to be coming that way, but they stopped before the door, talking low. Weird. Eskel considered eavesdropping, but before he could make up his mind, the door opened.


	6. Chapter 6

“ Eskel ! “

Before he could move, the Witcher was almost knocked back, held tight by a gray bun. He soon hugged Ciri back, less reserved than his normal self. Witchers were believed not to have emotions, or at least unable to _feel_ things like humans did. But at that moment, he couldn't care less what the rest of the world was expecting him to be, he just savored the feeling of holding a loved one in his arms. Ciri soon pulled away from him, looking at him with the brightest smile he had ever seen, before turning her head back.

Following her gaze, Eskel’s eyes met those of his brother. The two men were soon facing each other, each one extending a hand to grab the other's elbow. The White Wolf suddenly pulled him in for a hug as well as he spoke 

“ I've missed you, brother. “

His voice was a whisper, barely audible, almost broken... Eskel wanted to apologize for running away, to tell Geralt he was sorry, but the words didn't come out. So he tighten his grip, as he felt his eyes starting to burn. The Witcher was sure of it: soon, his heart would burst out of his chest.

When the two men finally let go, they were alone in the room. They both stood there, staring at each other, looking to find anything different than the last day they were together.

“ Geralt of fucking Rivia. Can't believe you're here. “

“ I'm not the one who disappeared ! “

He had said that without animosity, yet Eskel couldn't help but feel guilty. He would have some explaining to do, eventually. For now, he just wanted to make up for lost time, they had so much to tell each other, he was sure of it.

Geralt continued with a smirk

“ Let's go downstairs, I need a drink. “

The pair was now sitting at the table by the fire in the main hall with Ciri, drinks in hand. The young woman was telling Eskel all about her jobs since becoming a Witcher, and all the places she had gone to -mostly roaming the South of the Northern realms. Both men were listening to her, and Eskel knew he had a stupid grin across his face, but he just couldn't help it. He was so happy to be here, reunited at last with his kin. Before coming back to Kaer Morhen, he had felt loneliness weighting on his shoulders, but now that he was here, with his fellow Witchers, he realized just how much. As if getting to see them had revealed to him how lonely he was, how badly he had missed them.

“We're out of vodka.” Geralt noted, looking at the bottom of his cup.

“I'll go grab some.” Eskel patted the White Wolf shoulder.

Erryn was already in the kitchen, absent-mindlessly staring at a window, both hands wrapped around a cup. Peppermint tea, given the strong smell.

“Everything okay ?”

“Yeah, came to grab something to drink.” he looked around the room.

The Witcheress pulled a crate filled with different colors glass bottles from under a workbench “Here”

“Thanks.” Heading out, he finally paused “Wanna come ?”

She stayed silent for a bit, sipping on her cup.

“I think you guys need some time on your own.” 

He nodded at her, slightly relieved that she had declined his offer. All he wanted to do right now, more than anything was spend time with his family.

Before he could take another step, Ciri bursted in the kitchen

“You're still there ? C'mon grandpa, Geralt's gonna think you disappeared again.” she teased.

With a grunt, he replied “Since you’re here, help me carry those.”

“Nu-uh, I’ve got some catching up of my own to do.”

Erryn’s voice rose from his back “Where do you wanna go ?”

“My room ? I'd like to unpack.”

With a nod of approval, Erryn skipped over to Ciri and in an instant, the Witcheresses were gone.

Eskel had been listening to Geralt’s stories for hours now, and wouldn't have mind listening to him all night long, until the break of dawn even. Ever since they had met all those years ago when they had arrived at the keep as kids, the two of them had stuck together, for better and for worse. Of all the Witchers which came back every winter to Kaer Morhen, Eskel always had a soft spot for Geralt’s stories. Not only because they were the closest Witchers of the School, but also because his friend seemed unable to stay away from all kind of perilous situation, or involved in a political plot of some sort.

“So… How are you ?”

From the moment Eskel took the decision to come back to kaer Morhen, he knew he would have to answer this question, yet he still didn’t really know what to say. After a long pause, staring at the bottom of his cup, he finally answered Geralt:

“Better, I think.”

His brother did not respond, letting him gather his thoughts and try to put in words what he had trouble saying.

“I needed time. Alone. It was too much.”

He looked at the White Wolf.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m just glad you’re back.”

A comfortable silence fell upon them as Letho entered the room, his cape made almost black by the pouring rains, droplets of water dripping on the stones as he unloaded the game he had managed to gather. 

“The girls have already disappeared ?”

Geralt nodded “A couple hours ago. Probably already up for some bad deed.”

Letho let out a low chuckle “‘Course they are.”

“I’ll see if I can find them.”

Minutes later, all of the Witchers were gathered around the large table, - which suddenly seemed almost too small for the five of them. The tall ceilings were filled with the sounds of voices, several people talking at the same time. Eskel had missed so much. He wanted this moment to never stop, to make the most of every second he could get with Geralt and Ciri, to make up for the years he had wasted in solitude. The Witcher could not recall a day when he had feel happier. 


	7. Chapter 7

Eskel woke up the next day with one of the worst hangover he ever had. Him and Geralt had stayed together all night long, trying to catch up on all the lost time as much as they could. They had been drinking almost constantly, and were both more than happy to do so, but Eskel was pretty sure Geralt was -just like him- bitterly regretting drinking so much. No, actually. He was just too content to be here, to be once again with his brother -and Ciri ! Having a headache was totally worth it, in his opinion. 

Opening a lazy eye, it took a few seconds for Eskel’s blurry vision to adjust to the light and focus on the sun. Given its position in the sky, where he couldn’t see it from his bed, the Witcher knew it had to be around noon. Which would explain why he had woken up with a growling stomach, and why his mouth was desperately dry. Before heading downstairs to the kitchens, he decided to use the remaining water from the previous day that was sitting in a large ceramic bowl to wash his face. The cold water certainly did help him to wake up, and help pulling his brain from its state of fogginess. Deciding to just put on a pair of trousers and a shirt for now, he trotted down the stoned steps of the Keep.

The main hall was empty, only cluttered by the numerous bottles they had emptied the night before. Most of them were gathered on the table, but Eskel spotted some on the ground, and even one on the mantle of the large chimney. Shaking his head as he mentally counted them, realising just how much they had drink with the White Wolf, the Witcher decided to first tend to his biological need before attempting to clean their mess. Raiding the kitchen, he managed to find a loaf of bread that wasn’t too hard, took the remaining apples and took a pitcher of water. Sitting at the kitchen table, he took his time, enjoying the shy rays of sun piercing through the remaining clouds, soaking in every bit of warmth they were providing. 

The Witcher was almost done with his meal when the door opened on a grumpy-looking Geralt. Eskel could not help but chuckle as the sight of his brother, for once in a state worse than his own. 

“ Had a rough night ?” he smirked.

Geralt groaned something about Eskel talking too loud as he sat down, opposite of his brother. As the White Wolf was eating and drinking cups of water, Eskel watched in fascination his face become less and less crumpled, and his yellow eyes recovering their usual sharp look. 

“You’ve seen Ciri ?”

Of course, Geralt’s first concern went to her adoptive daughter.

“Haven’t seen anyone. Besides you, I mean.”

With a grin on his face, Geralt looked up from the table:

“I know how much you like me being the first thing you see in the morning.”

Eskel barked a laugh. He had miss this.

“Sure Wolf, keep believing that. If it makes you feel better about yourself !”

Geralt’s only response was an eye roll.

After a moment of silence, Eskel continued

“Gotta admit, I was surprised to find Letho here.”

His brother looked at him once more, and sighed a little

“I know you don’t like him. After… the Wild Hunt attacked, I offered him to stay here. I wouldn’t have done so if I didn’t trust him.”

Eskel knew it to be true, he could not imagine for one second Geralt putting anyone from his family at risk. But the scarred Witcher never really had the time -nor the desire- to sit down with the Viper to talk about his actions and motives, he was therefore still on the fence about him.

“What about her ?”

“Erryn ?”

Eskel nodded. 

“Letho originally refused my offer to stay. Said he wanted to leave the country. Wanted to get a fresh start away from here. From what I know, he took a contract on his way out of the country and that’s how they met.”

“So what ? She offered him a job and to thank her, he made her a Witcher ?”

Geralt shook his head at his brother

“Not what I said. I never asked for the full details, but my understanding is that they _did_ met through a contract, but she was not the employer.”

“I don’t get it. No one in their right mind would willingly go through the mutations. We did because we were kids and we had no other choice…” 

Eskel trailed off, his mind not able to find a good reason why someone would want to become a mutant. She had to have a reason, there was no other explanations. 

“Please tell me you didn’t help him.”

Geralt looked at him straight in the eyes 

“No. She had already been through the Trial when they arrived here.”

Eskel sighed in relief. Many years ago, after the death of their youngest Witcher -Coën; the remaining of the Wolf School had all sat down to drink to his memory. Vesemir was there, with Geralt, Eskel and Lambert, while they drank and reminisced about the young man, recollecting stories about him, and contracts he had told them about along the years they had spent together. After their mentor decided it was time for him to sleep, Geralt, Lambert and Eskel had stayed a bit longer sat around the table. After they had ran out of stories to tell, and silence had fell upon the three of them, Lambert had made them promise: No more Witchers. The -now- youngest of the batch had always been very vocal about despising his Witcher condition, but mostly how he resented the fact that he had no say in the matter. So the three of them made a pact. They were to be the last Witchers of the Wolf School. No one would have to endure what they had to go through; to be taken away from their families, to be robbed of their childhood, and pushed onto a Path they had not chosen.

To learn that the White Wolf had kept his word reassured Eskel. At least, even if he had found more Witchers than he had ever expected to when he had decided to come back; his brother was still person he had known his whole life, and for now, that was all that mattered. Even if his winter wasn’t exactly going as he had expected, he could still count on Geralt to be true to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not dead !  
> Sorry for the lack of updates, but life got crazy in the past few months...   
> I did wrote a little while I was away, but completely out-of-order of the story, so the next chapter is not quite ready, but as soon as it's done, I'll publish :)  
> I can't promise I'll update as regularly as I used to do, but I'll try my best ;).

The Witchers’ sensitive hearing caught up on the gust of wind that suddenly engulf itself through the crack at the bottom of the door. This meant that the heavy gate from the main hall had been opened, allowing the roaring wind in. Eskel shot a glance at Geralt, an eyebrow raised; but the White Wolf shrugged, not knowing more than his brother who it was. Soon enough, Ciri and Erryn entered the small room, Letho following them a few feet behind. 

Ciri wasted no time teasing Geralt

“Finały ! Has the _Milord_ slept enough ? Or perhaps the _Milord_ would like to retreat to his apartments to rest a little ?”

Geralt had to suffer the laughs of everyone in the room, Eskel showing no mercy to his brother, gladly joining in on the mockery. 

“I gave you an excuse to skip practice, you should be thanking me !”

“Oh, speaking of practice…” Erryn interrupted, biting into an apple with a smile.

“We didn’t expected you guys so early, so I haven’t had the time to go to the village to purchase supplies for the winter.” before Geralt could say anything, she added “And I’m afraid if we wait too long, the roads won’t be as practicable as they are right now, so… I should go this afternoon, but since I’ll need a lot of stuff, Ciri could come help, what do you think ?”

Geralt gave her a one-sided smile as he crossed his arms on his chest.

“I think you’re trying to avoid training with me.”

Erryn faked a shocked expression, a hand placed on her heart

“My, you know I would _never_ do such a thing !”

Eskel saw Ciri trying to hold back a laugh, hiding behind the other Witcheress. He looked back at Geralt, who was eyeing the young woman, seemingly making up his mind. His arms were still crossed, but he seemed amused by the situation. He looked at Letho, and the two girls followed his gaze, waiting for the bald Witcher to speak. 

“Whatever.” He shrugged. As the women looked at each other with excitement, Ciri nearly jumping up and down, Letho added

“But back to your regular training schedule tomorrow.” He was pointing an accusing finger at Erryn 

“And no more wiggling your way out of practice.” 

His voice was gruff, but the corner of his mouth was ever so slightly tugged, barely visible. Would could have guess the Kingslayer knew how to smile ? 

The Witcheress nodded frantically, failing to conceal her amused smile. Grabbing Ciri by the arm, the pair quickly disappeared, their excited chatter echoing in the empty hall, slowly fading away as they got deeper into the Keep.

As planned, the girls left right after lunch, wanting to waste no more time than necessary, in hope to be back before dark. Geralt had let Erryn borrow Roach for the trip, Ciri mounting her ever-faithful Kelpie. The horses were loaded with satchels and bags of all sorts, waiting to be filled with enough goods to last a few weeks -hopefully. Eskel had slipped Ciri a piece of parchment with a list of supplies he would need to repair the roof he had started to work on, plus some extras. The Witcher hadn’t really decided what would need fixing next, but having wood laying around “just in case” was never a bad idea, given the alarming rate at which the Keep was deteriorating.

After Geralt and Letho had both reminded the girls to be careful, earning themselves copious amounts of eye rolls; the Witcheresses left the Keep, leaving the three men alone. Short of things to do, they ended up sitting back at the table, enjoying the shelter offered by the Kaer against the cutting winds sweeping the valley. Quickly, the conversation turned to Erryn's practice. Eskel soon learned that a few years back, Letho had ask for Geralt's help. The Viper had convinced the White Wolf to make the young Witcheress work on her signs, which came as no surprise to him.

In their younger years, Eskel had volunteered to help train the aspiring Witchers of the Wolf School, dragging a reluctant Geralt with him. Soon enough though, the White Wolf had warmed up to the whole thing, and the pair had been in charge of new groups of kids whenever they could seize an opportunity to do so. 

“Eskel ? What do you say ?” Geralt’s scrapping voice tore him from his daydreaming.

“Mh ?”

“You could train her with me tomorrow?” 

Eskel looked at his brother, then Letho, and back again at Geralt, who continued: 

“Kills me to say it, but your signs are better than mine. She could learn a lot from you.”

Eskel could kill him right now. He didn’t really appreciate how the White Wolf was putting him on the spot like that. He couldn’t really say no, could he ? Geralt nudged at him.

“C'mon, it'll be like old times, you and me, training the newcomers !”

Eskel stared deeply into his brother’s feline eyes, wondering if the White Wolf had suddenly gained the ability to read his mind. Nah, he'd always been like this. Looking at Letho, Eskel finally spoke:

“Not making any promises, but I guess it couldn't hurt to stop by… At least to make fun of you.” he said, grinning at the White Wolf.


End file.
